What works for one area of the state may not work for another.

That's why there needs to be a dialogue in each of eight regions to encourage each region to engage in their own conversation about high school dropout prevention, according to Terry Behrendt, co-director of Transition to Teaching in Wichita State University's College of Education.

In an effort to consider possible solutions to help prevent students from becoming a dropout statistic, a dropout prevention regional pre-summit for the Wichita region will be held from noon-2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in the Workforce Learning Center, lower level, 150 N. Main in Wichita.

The event is co-sponsored by the WSU College of Education, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, State Farm Insurance and America's Promise Alliance.

RSVP to Jessica Noble at (785) 296-1521 or jnoble@kdheks.gov.

High school dropouts, on average, earn $9,200 less per year than high school graduates, and about $1 million less over a lifetime than college graduates.

Students who drop out of high school are often unable to support themselves; high school dropouts are more than three times more likely than college graduates to be unemployed.